Malcom Brogdon Deserves to Start

Malcom Brogdon deserves to start over Matthew Dellavedova. There, I said it. Don’t make me say it again. This article has been very painful for me to write. I will be the first to admit that I am one of the biggest Delly apologists out there. I will defend him until the end of the earth. However, I can no longer do it.

Matthew Dellavedova has struggled mightily this year while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks. In my mind the struggles were to be expected. Dellavedova is being miscast as the starting point guard in Milwaukee. He is a better fit as a second or even third point guard, similar to where he thrived in Cleveland.

Some people point to the LeBron James factor as a reason why Delly has played poorly. I’m not buying it.

Although Giannis Antetokounmpo is no LeBron he is capable of drawing significant defensive attention. This attention has led to a multitude of open looks for Delly. In my opinion Delly is in an extended slump this season.

Confidence is a funny thing in basketball. When you’re not hitting shots your mind can wander into a deep, dark hole that seems like you will never be able to creep out of. Then, all of a sudden, you knock down a couple of shots and you believe in yourself again. Shoot to get hot, shoot to stay hot.

I completely believe that Dellavedova will come back around and start playing better basketball. He only has 3 and a half years left on his contract and it’s not going to get much worse than what we are seeing.

One of the most telling stats to me is the Player Efficiency Rating (PER). Matthew Dellavedova’s PER currently sits at 9.7. With the league average being 15 that leaves Dellavedova far below the average standpoint.

Matthew Dellavedova’s true shooting percentage is way, way down. Then add to that his turnover percentage is up, although that is to be expected for someone who has been thrust into the “main” ball handling role on a new team.

Fans are also starting to take notice of Dellavedova’s runners. They are inefficient and ineffective to say the least. Or at least that’s what our eyes have been telling us. After diving into the stats it looks like we all have been guilty of confirmation bias.

According to NBAsavant.com, Delly is shooting 48.5% on runners and floaters. Don’t take my word for it though. I have attached his floaters and runner shot chart below for you to dissect.

He shoots 48.5% on floaters, so what? What does that even mean? Let me provide you with some comparison to other players who are known for their floaters. Steph Curry is shooting 58.3%, Tony Parker is shooting 51.8%, and Mike Conley is shooting 42.2%. Compared to those three great point guards Dellavedova falls closer to the average range while shooting the floater. By the way, Malcom Brogdon is shooting 35.3% on his floaters and runners.

Setting the floaters aside Matthew Dellavdova has struggled mightily as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Malcom Brogdon has had the undeniable advantage of playing most of his minutes against a teams back-ups. Don’t get me wrong, Brogdon has had his moments where he has excelled against the starters. Take the Cavaliers game for example.

However, Brogdon has played better than expected this season and deserves the opportunity to show that he can carry that play into the starting lineup. Brogdon’s all important PER sits at 14.3 which is just below league average.

As you can also see Brogdon has a superior true shooting percentage, total rebound percentage, steal percentage, turnover percentage, and win shares.

One worry that I have with Brogdon moving to the starting lineup is that the Bucks will lose his unbelievable chemistry with Greg Monroe. Brogdon and Monroe seem to have had this automatic connection since the beginning of the season. They are each constantly looking for one another. This has led to a plethora of back door and off ball cuts for lay-ups. It’s uncanny how well they play off of one another.

The problem in Milwaukee is that they currently have two point guards who are best suited as back-ups. I relate this to an old adage in football. When you have two starting quarterbacks you really have none. The same applies to the Milwaukee Bucks who are in dire need of a starting point guard.

After all is said and done it is time for the Milwaukee Bucks to shake up their lethargic lineup. The Bucks have lost 3 out of 4 games since the All-Star break. Malcom Brogdon can be the man to spark the Bucks to the playoffs. He is mature beyond his NBA experience and understands how to play the game of basketball. In 2017 let’s make The Pres The Starter.

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